Knowledge of science elevates a person to greater heights than that of any other discipline. Many would say what about religion! Let’s keep religion aside here, at least. There are enough talks of religion, especially in India. You lose all your arguments, and take recourse to religion. But, for a few, science is the religion. In fact, science also elevates stature of religion. The West today is known for its religious tolerance, a completely different picture than that of the medieval period. A country like India has never witnessed the kind of religious intolerance the West and Middle-east went through. But, time has taken such a turn that US President Barack Obama now has no hesitation in openly criticising ‘growing religious intolerance’ in India. The turnaround is because of the stupendous growth of science in the West over the past centuries.

The National Science Day on February 28 is a great opportunity for India to look at its history of religious tolerance, except for the periods of invasion by various races from east Asia. The ‘civilization’ in India had its roots in the knowledge of science, which the current BJP government brags about very often. The ruling party, which was expected by many to turn the country’s fortunes, should keep in mind that no country becomes great by just boasting about its past. Had it been so, fate of Greece and Iraq would have been different, let alone India. If China regained its strength lost centuries ago, it’s solely because of new vigour and not just pride for the past. Had ‘scientists’ in ancient India been so proud of their achievements, they would not have been able to make India proud today.

No doubt, India has made a lot of progress in information technology. But the IT knowledge is highly disproportionate with the country’s achievement in fundamental science. This weakness has given birth to Modi’s ‘Make in India’ slogan. India does not have technical knowhow to boost its manufacturing industry, a key element of any civilisation. It’s not Singapore where the nation survives only on its service industry. Let science have a chance, ahead of religion. Let children learn science, more than religion. Then, religion will also get purified, tolerant, something for everyone to be proud of.

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on February 28, 2016)

Newspapers and channels covering rail budget would be missing some obvious headlines this time – ‘… neglected in rail budget’, ‘…presents populist budget’, ‘no new trains for …’ etc. Maximum thrust of rail budgets in the past used to be on fares – either reduction or hike – and new trains. The clichés are out, even in political reactions. Former Railways minister Dinesh Dwivedi of the Trinamool Congress wondered how to react, “because there is no budget in this budget”! Common people did not understand it either. Can there be any budget without announcement of new trains? The Narendra Modi-led NDA government has tried to be different by according less priority to announcement of new trains. According to the Railways minister Suresh Prabhu, trains will be announced in due course of time.

This is for the first time thrust area of any rail budget is the facilities for consumers. SMS service on train arrival and departure, ticket in five minutes and mobile charging facility are some facilities which matter a lot for the passengers. Prabhu and his team might have identified the new needs of consumers. He might have realised that just announcing new trains and reducing fares would not satisfy a fast-changing nation. The ever-increasing number of service-conscious people is likely to welcome the new facilities, if they become a reality.

Political considerations have always influenced the railway budget among other things. Bihar got a lot of new trains and new lines sanctioned during the tenures of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar as Railway minister. So was West Bengal when Mamata Banerjee donned the post. Their first priority used to be securing their respective electoral bases. Suresh Prabhu might be an unpopular figure in Mumbai today for not announcing any new train for his home city where lakhs of people travel on the iron wheels every day. But, relax Mumbaikars, Prabhu is India’s Railway minister first, and then an elected representative from Maharashtra! If the overall services are improved as he promised, Maharashtra should not punish him in the next election. But this is India where people react to words more than action. ‘Prabhu’ (god) bless Prabhu!

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on February 27, 2015)

The Bihar government fell, ultimately. A part of the political drama is over. It’ll be Nitish Kumar again on the hot seat. Jitan Ram Majhi, an insignificant figure till his anointment as chief minister by Nitish himself, will fade into oblivion once again. Any way, he did not deserve the position. When Nitish resigned last year taking responsibility of JD-U’s drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls, he wanted a puppet in the post, to take his orders. But he forgot Majhi was a habitual turncoat. Starting with Congress, Majhi ‘served’ masters in Lalu Prasad’s RJD and then in JD-U and now lured by a resurgent BJP under Narendra Modi. Nitish also might have thought the term for his ‘dummy’ is over since public memory is short. Majhi’s allegations that Nitish started bullying of late might hold some water, which could prompt him to be blown by the Modi wave!

All the stories of political upheaval are interesting to read and follow. But are politicians meant for such circus? In the past two weeks, 243 MLAs of the Bihar assembly did not have any time left for public affairs. Though they say what they do is for public interest, but this entire drama is nothing but a private affair. It is the personal affair of only these MLAs. Should they not be booked since their personal affair is affecting the affairs of the state? Will they explain why their salaries should not be cut for total absence from their responsibilities to public all these days? Many would say these questions are irrelevant. If politicians do not fight, who will? Indian public is accustomed to such drama.

It is certain that important files are getting jammed in the offices of state government due to prolonged absence of the ministers and MLAs. Such delay might cause serious damage to individuals, institutions etc. Who will pay for such damage? None. The country’s political system is such that politicians ‘devote’ a major portion of their time and energy for personal benefit. Public affairs, for which politicians are meant, often take a backseat. Still, public is not so dull too. They are not going to tolerate such drama for long. There has to be an end to such kind of politics.

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on February 21, 2015)

Meghalaya’s chief minister Mukul Sangma is a physician himself. But, it seems, he failed to ensure good health of the health department. From medicines worth crores getting ‘expired’ to non-functional equipment for cancer treatment, the authorities have showed as to what extent the public can be taken for granted. It was not that they have been ignorant about the rot inside the department. But, their let-it-be attitude cost the public dearly. In the blame game, which happens after every scam is unearthed, the damage caused to public and loss of taxpayers’ money is often ignored.

In a major instance of apathy, the Shillong civil hospital failed to make any move to rectify the ‘snag’ in its radiotherapy equipment in past two months. An Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) delegation during its visit to the hospital in December pointed out non-compliance of a ‘safety code’ in radiotherapy treatment. The ultimate outcome of this whole episode is sufferings of cancer patients. The state has high prevalence of cancer with hundreds of patients going outside every year for treatment.

In the second instance, medicines worth Rs 4 crore purchased under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) got ‘expired’. The entire stock will now have to be disposed of. After the major faux pas, the health minister AL Hek is now saying that from now onwards medicine purchase will be ‘demand-driven’. Does he mean to say that all along medicines were purchased irrespective of their requirement? Does it also mean that only cheap and worthless medicines, which come with more kickbacks for the who’s who, were only purchased? The department first shows utter apathy in making use of the medicines and then the minister makes an irresponsible remark. He did not make it clear if any action will be taken against the officers responsible. He failed to deliver the proper role of a public representative. A state can always run be run by bureaucrats. What is the worth of public representative if not in such cases? A suspension of officials concerned would have been befitting, pending the inquiry.

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on February 14, 2015)

Women gossiping in the warmth of electric heaters in the corridors of government offices of Meghalaya is a common sight. The high court in Shillong is no different. Work culture in the highest office of judiciary in the state can be gauged well by this scene. That day, they showed some promptness, in staging a hunger strike. They say the current ‘acting’ chief justice behaves very rudely with the staff. For what reason? They were mum. The protest followed disciplinary action taken by the High Court against one of the employees. The offence was not known, neither his name disclosed by the office of high court. But what is known for sure is that the current CJ became ‘unpopular’ due to his assertiveness. But, the employees have all along been used to the ‘lahe lahe’ (lethargic) system.

This was not the first time this CJ acted tough on anyone. He faced protest even from the lawyers for reprimanding them in the court. Others hail him as a hard taskmaster. The happenings in the High Court remind one of the scene in North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Science (NEIGRIHMS). The new head of the super-specialty hospital was an unpopular man too, among most employees. He had to face stiff opposition from the staff for trying to abolish the era of ‘lahe lahe’. He streamlined the functioning of NEIGRIHMS to a great extent, much to the delight of patients. The hospital, which had no takers even among the people of Shillong, is now witnessing beelines of patients hailing from all across the North-east. The new director has been able to uplift the institute to a level it was meant for.

Neither the NEIGRIHMS head nor the acting CJ is paid for satisfying the employees, but to cater to the public needs. If he becomes dictatorial in approach and get the job done, so be it. Of course, he cannot violate the fundamental rights of the employee. If he does, the employee can always take the legal path. But, apparently, there was no such violation in the High Court case. Most government employees, especially in the North-east, are so used to the lethargic way of functioning that they forget they are living in a much faster globalised world. This is the age when people in private sectors are toiling 12-16 hours, and some are paid accordingly, in lakhs per month. Govt employees cannot live in a different world!

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on February 13, 2015)

The attacks on church in Delhi are obviously communal. The Delhi police theory of ‘burglary’ does not hold any water. Had it been so, items bearing utmost religious significance and no great monetary value would not have been touched. The selective damages caused to such structures inside the church shows the attacks were ‘guided’, yet to be known by whom. Hand of any political party is yet to be established. But political hand is obvious given the history of communal clashes before every election in many north Indian states. Such tension serves the ‘purpose’ – polarising votes. The orchestrators, however, do not necessarily belong to the party seen as radical and non-secular.

Apparently, the attacks on Christian establishments have dented BJP’s image the party managed to build since taking up the country’s reins last May. The party’s effort to downplay its Hindutva identity by ‘Bikash’ (development) slogan has gone for a toss. But, such attacks have a reverse effect too. There is a huge chance of reverse polarisation of non-Christian votes. In such case, BJP will benefit from its pro-Hindu image. Polarisation and reverse polarisation of votes on religious lines take place mostly among lower income groups, who constitute a major part of Delhi’s population. Communally sensitive rumours may influence voters living in slums and unauthorised colonies of Delhi very fast and in a big way. After all, Delhi is not unfamiliar to communal riots. Trilokpuri area of East Delhi witnessed clashes between Hindus and Muslims just four months ago during Diwali festival.

US President Barack Obama’s ‘concern’ over religious intolerance in India has come at a crucial time. Though he did not mention about the attacks on church the remark is taken in that context only. His ‘Gandhi-would-have-been-shocked’ statement ignores the fact that Gandhi had seen bigger communal riots in his country than we do now. Gandhi, of course, was saddened by the riots that took thousands of lives, but was helpless too. Obama’s statement only expresses solidarity with the Christians and no other victims of religious intolerance. Religious or racial intolerance is a global concern including in India. People will remain victims of this menace until they understand the design orchestrated by political parties and other vested interested groups.

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on February 9, 2015)

Relevance of traditional customs and traditional bodies is often questioned in case of a controversy. Such incidents are normally reported in villages where the traditional bodies hold strong. If Khap Panchayat of Haryana is notorious for defining dress codes for girls, the Dorbar Shnong of Meghalaya is infamous for ostracising families. They want rule of ‘traditional laws’ in their jurisdictions. Dorbar Shnong is a body recognised by the autonomous district council, which was formed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Unlike Khap Panchayat, Dorbar Shnong is an authorised institution recognised by the government, albeit under no law so far. This fact was revealed only recently when the Meghalaya High Court ruled that the traditional chiefs should not issue any certificate such as NOC. They were asked to perform their ‘social responsibilities’ only. It was only after this order by Justice SR Sen that Dorbars realised the need for a legal authority for them to function.

Both the Khap Panchayat and the Dorbar Shnong are resistant to changes in the society. The world is evolving every day. Way of life had changed in the past, it is changing now and it will, for ever. None can prevent it. There is a greater demand for democracy in every aspect of life. The traditional bodies might be having their inner democracy intact, a reason for their existence till date, but they are seen as autocratic by others. A recent memorandum sought 54 separate proposals for a village administration Bill. There is equal number of Himas (traditional administrative area) in Khasi-Jaintia Hills region of less than 10 lakh population. They want the separate Bill drafts since the traditional laws vary from Hima to Hima! But the ‘laws’ are mostly unwritten. They want the power, not accountability! As per the so-far-unwritten laws, a headman’s certificate is needed in many official works. But if he refuses to issue it, there is no legal system to take action against him.

The Khap Panchayat and Dorbar Shnong have another common vice. While Khap denying women rights is seen as nothing abnormal in a highly male-dominated society, the Dorbar Shnong’s attitude towards women is totally contradictory with the state’s matrilineal system. Everybody, including the Dorbar Shnongs, takes ‘pride’ in the state’s unique system. Yet, woman has no space in the Dorbar Shnong. Such an irony!

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on February 6, 2015)